The Origins Of The Female Vampire - 1504 Words

The origins of the female vampire in literary fiction of Victorian period arise from male anxiety of the ‘Other’, epitomized in a form of powerful and authoritative, thus dangerous, woman threatening the patriarchal power and domination. The vampire genre provided appropriate literary platform for writing about these anxieties and sexual desires through allegories of vampirism without specifically defining its subversive ideas; delivering them as ambiguous and cryptic. Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu even furthered the idea of vampire genre by presenting the first lesbian vampire, Carmilla. The vampire text became a medium for exposing the forbidden and unmentionable perceptions undermining the heteronormative discourses of Victorian society. The forbidden sexuality was essentially brought to life through vampires because their deviant behaviour existed in a fictional realm making it far more tolerable than homosexuality in the real World (Williams, 2009, p. 21). The defining characteristics of female vampires, such as bloodsucking, rebellious and with an open eroticism, were representations of everything that conventional women in patriarchal society were not supposed to be. Le Fanu developed in Carmilla a tale about a dangerous and destructive female vampire, who is emotionally and physically engaged in a relationship with her victim Laura, while mirroring Victorian society’s angst of female sexuality. Le Fanu’s story ‘Carmilla’ treats vampirism as the meansShow MoreRelated The Lilith in Dracula, Carmilla, Christabel, Geraldine and The Hunger1434 Words   |  6 Pagesfind information about the demoness. However, there are slight variations found from story to story.   Here we will focus on the myth as found in Hebrew mythology, and we will particularly emphasize the similarities seen between Lilith and various vampires seen in literature today.   The Hebrew figure of Lilith was actually borrowed from Babylonian and Syrian myths.   Lilitu was a Babylonian demon and a spirit of the night and of storms.   Lamassu was a Sumerian goddess and the daughterRead MoreThe Mystery Of The Novel True Sense, And Seems 1591 Words   |  7 Pagesof the original vampire is that of Croglin Grange. In the story of Croglin Grange, the vampire is described as a hideous, brown creature with flaming eyes that came scratching at the window of a girl that occupied the Croglin Grange house (Summers, Vampire in Europe 113-115). The Croglin Grange vampire was also insinuated to have supernatural strength or power, being that a gunshot wound to the leg did not hinder its ability to escape. Chinese folktales provide evidence that vampire hysteria spreadRead MoreThe Romantic And Victorian Eras Of English History1679 Words   |  7 Pageschose the supernatural or miracles over the scientific method as well as passion over reason. Similarly, the Victorian era witnessed many major scientific discoveries and writings such as Charles Lyell’s â€Å"Principles of Geology† and Charles Darwin’s â€Å"Origin of Species† and â€Å"The Decent of Man†. These works terrified the growing Evangelical movement because they feared the thought of the human species sharing an ancestor with primates, consequently, many feared a possible devolution of the human species;Read MoreThe Victorian Era1706 Words   |  7 Pageswriters chose the supernatural or miracles over the scientific method as well as passion over reason. Similarly, the Victorian era was marked by major discoveries and writings such as Charles Lyell s Principles of Geology and Charles Darwin s Origin of Species and The Decent of Man. These works terrified the growing Evangelical movement because they were frightened at the notion of the human species sharing an ancestor with primates, thus causing a fear of devolution of the humans back toRead MoreSex, Danger, Vampires910 Words   |  4 PagesSex, Danger, Vampires Dracula is a worldwide known name. With movies, and books portraying the handsome but dangerous character. Today nobody ever considers the origins of Dracula, or the modern vampire. People do not take into consideration the evolution of the vampire story. Many don’t even know that vampire stories are often interpreted as allegories for the many themes present in the author’s society. Bram Stoker’s Dracula serves as a prime example of an allegory of his times. Stoker’s DraculaRead MoreVampires : More Than A Modern Fantasy1538 Words   |  7 PagesEmily Fischer 5/26/16 AP World History Period 2 Vampires: More Than a Modern Fantasy When you think of vampires, do you think of Twilight, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or Vampire Diaries? Or, do you think of ancient vampiric legends such as Lamastu, empusai, and even Vlad the Impaler? What if both modern vampire culture and the origins of vampirism were connected, not only by topic, but by relevance? Vampiric myths allow us to understand the history and those involved, as well as to relate to theRead More Foreshadowing, Mood, Mythical Parallels, and Narrative Elements in Dracula1433 Words   |  6 PagesForeshadowing, Mood, Mythical Parallels, and Narrative Elements in Dracula      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the novel Dracula, by Bram Stoker, there is much evidence of foreshadowing and parallels to other myths.   Dracula was not the first story featuring a vampire myth, nor was it the last.   Some would even argue that it was not the best.   However, it was the most original, using foreshadowing and mood to create horrific imagery, mythical parallels to draw upon a source of superstition, and original narrative elementsRead MoreDracula As A Symbol Of Male Power1622 Words   |  7 Pagesknowledge represents male power as the educated, intelligent man with wealth and power which was a great distinction between the elite and the lower-classes. However, Dracula also symbolises the threat against male power due to his ‘foreign’ origins. Count Dracula states ‘We are in Transylvania; and Transylvania is not England. Our ways are not your ways, and there shall be to you many strange things’(Pg.46) To Harker an English gentleman, anything outside of Britain is seen as strange and untrustworthyRead MoreDracula, By Bram Stoker898 Words   |  4 PagesAs we look at vampires from any given time period we see what people thought was frightening, or maybe we would see what they thought was sexy, or forbidden. Although the novel Dracula, authored by Bram Stoker, is over a century old, it still impacts our culture and societies view on vampires today. Many writers have begun to try and recreate the â€Å"vampire† in a new, modern light. For example, in Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight, the vampire’s image is altered from the attacker to the protector. ThisRead MoreThe Mystery Of Vampire s From Folklore Tales1622 Words   |  7 Pagesmonster that sustained themselves over time have been vampires. In fact, stories of vampires have been with civilization for centuries. The exact origin of vampires is unknown and there have been many speculations and theories of these monsters’ origins. Many scholars believe that vampires originated from folklore tales, which spread all throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, England, and Ireland. In addition, early civilizations associated vampires with unexplained events such as death, disease, and